Duet, Diva, Dream
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and twenty-four: ABCs #4 It started with a hug, and continues in a song...


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, and fifty cycle. Now here's cycle 6!_

_Walking through a bookstore back in december, I saw the series of books by Sue Grafton that go "A is for...," "B is for...," etc, and I got the idea for this set. It will spread over the end of cycle 6, and carry through cycles 7 and 8, to be posted on alternating days. [And by the time we reach the end, Glee will be a week away!!] What I did is I found three words for each letter that would have some significance to Glee, and I built a plot around it. You with me? Okay, here we go...  
**4 of 26: D is for...**_

* * *

**"Duet, Diva, Dream"  
Rachel & Mercedes**

It hadn't taken much to figure that Rachel and Mercedes, when vying for an exclusive spotlight, would come to clash. They were both very strong, almost larger than life, one could say. It had been the case, for a time. How could it not?

Rachel had grown by the guiding hands of her fathers, who had nurtured her natural born talent with their own driving passion. It hadn't taken her long to know that was what she wanted in life, pure and simple.

Mercedes wanted it too. She'd had that voice in her, and everyone would love to hear it, hear her. She'd grown up with her idols as her guides. She had this desire in her… like maybe one day she'd be the one people looked to. It was a nice idea to look forward to from time to time.

The moment the two of them had entered the same 'arena,' and they'd been witness to each other's talents, the territory was split. They tried not to think about it, and as the time went by, it did get easier.

The real turnaround had come with Sectionals. Mercedes had made her stand for her solo, the song that had long inhabited her. She had laid out her soul in the middle of that room, let them all see it. Rachel had seen it. She'd seen it long before, but now it had changed something, and they both knew it.

They had hugged on it, but it was not the end of it. When they'd gotten to Sectionals, they had all been made to face what Coach Sylvester had done. Rachel knew how Mercedes probably felt, because she would no doubt have felt the same way. So when Mercedes had insisted that it should be Rachel who take the song, she thought it only fair to go in with a song that exposed just as much of her soul as Mercedes' song had exposed of hers.

They'd come out of Sectionals with victory on their shoulders. They'd celebrated it, through and through. Still Rachel felt there was yet another thing to celebrate, to recognize, and that was the buried 'hatchet' with her and Mercedes.

As they'd returned from the holidays, into a new year, it seemed the right time to address it. Rachel sought out Mercedes in the hall, after leaving Glee practice.

"I have an idea," she nodded.

"Alright?" Mercedes looked at her. "An idea about what?"

"Us. What's the one thing that could completely up our game, especially now that we've succeeded at Sectionals?" Rachel asked, filled with determination.

"I don't…" she shrugged.

"A duet, you and me," she nodded. "What do you think?" she smiled with hope, unsure of how Mercedes would respond to the offer. She watched her consider this, and slowly her head started to nod, then smile.

"I think we should. You already have the song in mind, don't you?" she nodded with expectation, looking back to Rachel.

"Actually… I think we need to choose it together." This sat very well with Mercedes, who nodded to herself and hooked her arm with Rachel's, pulling her along.

They went to Rachel's to look into the number. Mercedes had a private amused smile as she first entered Rachel's room. Kurt had told her about it, but it just did not cover actually seeing it. She didn't focus on it too much, having other plans for that afternoon.

They sat to start and figure their song choice. They were mostly silent as they searched, both of them focused. When they had ideas, they paused to run it by the other. There were a number of discarded choices, and still they looked.

They came upon their choice eventually, practically at the same time, and right before dinner time. Pop showed up to invite Mercedes to stick around, and she agreed, as they could then practice their duet afterward.

When next practice came, Rachel waited for Mr. Schuester out in the hall and requested time for her and Mercedes to present something to the club. He asked about the band and such, but Rachel assured him it was already taken care of.

As everyone settled in, Mr. Schuester gave the two girls a nod before announcing the performance to the others. He looked as clueless as the others. Rachel and Mercedes went into place, sharing a quick smirk as the band kicked up the music.

_[Me] "Many nights we've prayed / With no proof anyone could hear / In our hearts a hopeful song / We barely understood_

_Now we are not afraid / Although we know there's much to fear / We were moving mountains long / Before we knew we could_

_There can be miracles, when you believe / Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill / Who knows what miracles you can achieve / When you believe, somehow you will / You will when you believe"_

They knew it would probably not be smooth sailing all along, even if they'd changed. But if they could have even a little bit of moments like these, where they shared the ground and made it resonate…

_[R] "In this time of fear / When prayers so often proves in vain / Hope seems like the summer birds / Too swiftly flown away_

_Yet now I'm standing here / My heart's so full I can't explain / Seeking faith and speaking words / I never thought I'd say_

_There can be miracles, when you believe / Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill / Who knows what miracles you can achieve / When you believe, somehow you will / You will when you believe"_

It wasn't just for them, it was for all of them, showing they could put their differences aside, instead working from the position of their similarities. They'd all collaborated, but there was still so much in the way that they needed to power through.

_[Me, R] "They don't always happen when you ask / And it's easy to give in to your fears / But when you're blinded by your pain / Can't see your way straight through the rain / A small but still resilient voice / Says hope is very near_

_There can be miracles / (Miracles) / When you believe / (Lord, when you believe) / Though hope is frail / (Though hope is frail) / It's hard to kill / (Hard to kill, Ohhh) / Who knows what miracles, you can achieve / When you believe, somehow you will(somehow, somehow, somehow) / Somehow you will / You will when you believe_

_You will when you / You will when you believe / Just believe...in your heart / Just believe_

_You will when you believe"_

THE END


End file.
